How to WIN at Wine - by Joe Roberts
The approaching Christmas season can seem like a little nightmare for everybody who loves wine and has friends who also love wine. It's because it is getting more and more difficult to find something interesting, helpful, or smart to give to people like that. When I run out of wine gift ideas, including a wine magazine subscription, and can't afford to break my bank, I usually give away a book. They never disappoint.
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A moment of summer relax in the vineyards, with good food, good friends and great wines…
Many of us become suddenly lazier when temperatures rise, and even cooking can be a stressful activity. Nothing better, thus, if someone else suggests to us what to bring to the daily table. Even better, it gives us the perfect excuse to experiment with fresh and exciting food and wine combinations. John Kelliher, a wine expert and the co-founder of Grapeline Wine Tours, believes summer entertaining doesn't have to be complicated to be impressive.
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Chianti Vineyards
It’s almost time to plan your summer holidays. If you are just looking for a relaxing place where to rest and enjoy amazing landscapes, good food and good wine, there no doubt that you should look at Italy. With an 81% surge in searches for “wellness retreats” and a 240% increase in “relaxing getaways” this year ( according to Google Keyword Planner), it’s clear that wellness travel is having a major moment in this 2025. The award-winning independent cruise travel agency Planet Cruise has compiled new data revealing the best global destinations for a wellness escape - and Italy, with the Tuscany region, comes third place.
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A view of Vinitaly h.q.
Although the threat of tariffs on many EU products (wine included) is suspended, it’s better to prepare for what might occur next.
Read MoreIn the Italy's rich cultural heritage, there is a gem that often escapes the radar of travelers: Portogruaro. Nestled in the Veneto region, this charming small town is not only a hidden treasure but also a meaningful repository of history, art, and tradition.
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Donnafugata vineyards In Contessa Entellina Estates
Sicily keeps on being in the thoughts of Netflix scriptwriters, seemingly. The next series that is going to be released on 5th March is a masterpiece of a Sicilian literature:” Il Gattopardo”, in English “The Leopard”, by Tomasi di Lampedusa. It is the fascinating story of a Sicilian prince who has to deal with his changing world.
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From now on, wine tourists visiting the Morellino di Scansano (Tuscany) production area have a new tool to make their experience more enjoyable and safe: VINOMETRO.
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If you're new to food and wine pairing and have a romantic Valentine dinner in mind, to not fail you have to match the food with the right wine. Here’s how to do it.
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It’s only February, yet I’d bet that many of us are already thinking about next summer to plan their vacations. If this is the case, I’d suggest taking a look at the recent study by Dipndive, to have an idea about the costs we should face, if we decide to go to one of the following destinations.
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A view of Tenute Rapitalà, one of the four wineries that are taking part to InnoNDA Project
A “new” Nero d’Avola: fresher, fragrant and less alcoholic. For years the Sicilian association of producers Assovini is committed to finding new tools, new strategies and approaches both to viticulture and wine making process. They know that the consumers - the younger ones especially - are not willing anymore to drink or eat stuff too much processed, thus the less technological interventions in the cellar, the better.
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Regaleali vineyards (Sicily).
In the years 1313-1850, Europe knew the so-called Little Ice Age (or PEG: Piccola Era Glaciale), at the end of which three nightmares hit the viticulture of the Old Word: oidium, phylloxera and mildew . The Philloxera Vastatrix, in particular, arrive in France in 1850, attached to some American vines that had to be planted in the French vineyards for improvement. In fact, within a few years the deadly insect had come to destroy 40% of the French vineyard.
This tiny and letal aphid found its nemesis in an unlikely hero: American vine rootstocks.
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My first intention was to write the usual post of advice on “what wines to drink during the Holidays”. Then I realized that I had too many references, and it would be boring. So this year I want to focus only on one type, which usually wine critics snobby: sweet wines.
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The renowned Roman amphitheater Arena, which hosts important music reviews in summertime.
Have you never set foot in Verona? If you are a tourist who love the culture, the romance, the music and so on, this Venetian city is a perfect destination for a trip. And if you are a wine lover, it definitely worths a visit.
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Nice and friendly, fruity and easy to drink - and to share. A pop wine. You don’t need other info about this wine, which name speaks for itself: “Sip No Guilt”.
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A keynote in the past edition (2023)
Wine2Wine, the renowned international business forum hosted in Verona (same place of Vinitaly), is scheduled on 4th and 5th of November. It’s an important event focused mainly on the biz side of the wine world, and everything that goes around it. This means that the topics that are going to be discussed will be several, varied, and topical.
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As the summer is in full swing, let’s take a quick look at how the grape harvest is going in Italy, which has already been underway for a few weeks in some areas.
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Days when a robot will serve us a bottle of wine in some tasting room are not far…
Maybe in the past, it was easier, but nowadays it’s trickier. Definitely. What am I talking about? Finding new wine consumers. Or starting/keeping on engaging the old ones.
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PIWI wines at Sensoria event.
Recently, I attended a tasting of PIWI wines*, which inspired me to this post.
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Once upon a time, a grape was cultivated in the South of Italy and significantly requested in the North. Verdeca. A variety that only recent genetics studies revealed its origin, regarded as obscure until a few years ago. It’s likely that Verdeca is a Greek grape because the DNA profiling (by J.Vouillamoz) has shown that it is identical to Lagorthi, a Greek variety from Kalavrita in the Aigialeia mountains in the Peoloponnisos.
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To me, the word “Etna” recalls a lot of things. All of them are positive, so you can get why I always feel a bit of saudade when I hear or write it.
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